


First Date

by JadeLotus (Lotusflower85)



Series: A Year in the Life [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 20:25:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5839804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lotusflower85/pseuds/JadeLotus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke and Mara have an unconventional "first date."</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Date

"Candle, sir?”  
 ****  
Luke turned to the sound of a lilting female voice and saw a young woman standing beside him in white robes. In her outstretched palm she held a white candle in the shape of a lotus blossom; native Chandrilan flowers that were plentiful in the lakes the bordered the city.  
 ****  
“Of course.” Luke smiled, retrieving a credit chip from his pocket and handing it to the woman.  
 ****  
“Peace be upon you, Sir.” She gave him a small bob of a curtsy.  
 ****  
“And you,” Luke replied with a nod as she floated away to find more customers and he stowed the candle away in his pocket.  
 ****  
Hanna City bustled with life, a severe change in pace for the usually sedate world. More a town than a city, Luke walked through the small cobblestone square with quaint buildings and market stalls, bordered by vast gardens and small cottages that served as residential homes and tourist accommodation. Usually the population of Hanna numbered only a few hundred, but as it was the annual Peace Fete it was swarming with visitors eager to purchase lotus candles and head towards the Silver Sea. Luke had never before attended the festivities held in the Chandrian spring, but Mon Mothma had made a point to send him an invitation this year and he didn’t feel it right to refuse, no matter how busy he was at the Academy.  
 ****  
Night was approaching, although the weather was still pleasantly warm with the smell of lotus blossoms in the air. Up ahead in the centre of the square was a large fountain with dozens of the flowers floating in the silver-blue water, but that was not what drew Luke’s attention. He blinked to make sure she wasn't an apparition, but indeed she was there, dressed in a knee-length dress of midnight blue. Its stiff collar sat up high on her neck, but the neckline dropped low between her breasts in a way that took Luke's breath away. He quickened his pace and reached the fountain in mere moments, embracing his wife tightly.  
 ****  
"Mara," he whispered against her hair, his hands meeting the cool smooth skin exposed by the open back of her dress. "What did I do to deserve this?"  
 ****  
Through their bond he felt a memory surface, a conversation they'd had on Yavin a lifetime ago. _You don't deserve it, Skywalker. But I came anyway_.   
****  
"Nothing," she teased as she pulled away. "I just love you."  
  
Luke grinned at the words flowing so easily from her lips. "I thought you were on Coruscant?" Not quite willing to let her go just yet, he ran his fingers lightly down the small bumps of her spine.  
 ****  
"Negotiations finished early," Mara explained. "And when your sister said you'd be here I figured I'd come meet you. I thought we could have...a date." The word seemed unfamiliar as her mouth worked awkwardly around it. "You know, like normal people. So I put on a nice dress and made reservations at the only restaurant in town."  
 ****  
Luke was touched that she'd made the effort. "I'm surprised you got in, with the Peace Fete going on."  
 ****  
"Yes, well, I can be persuasive," Mara pinched his side playfully. "And to be honest I didn't know about the Fete until I got here."  
 ****  
“I’m told it's best to go to the Sea after dark,” Luke told her. “And I promised to meet Mon Mothma there.”  
 ****  
"Well come on then, Skywalker," Mara tugged lightly on his hand. "Dinner, then duty."  
 ****

* * *

  
****  
It was well into the evening when Luke and Mara made their way to the Silver Sea, following the stream of locals and guests through tree-lined paths lit up by fairy lights in the shape of lotus blossoms. Mara knew that the flower was native to Chandrila, but she’d changed her plans at the last minute and hadn’t even thought to ask Leia why exactly Luke was visiting the planet. He’d been too consumed with his balmgrass-smoked blackback during dinner to explain, and Mara had gotten into an involved discussion with the sommelier regarding the local wine which he swore included gem dust mined from the Crystal Caves. In the end Mara had conceded that the wine was very good indeed although she remained sceptical about the notion of crystal dust.  
 ****  
The Silver Sea was aptly named, for when they reached a blue-sand beach the shimmering waters seemed to stretch on forever. The sea was unusually calm although the beach was swarming with activity, thousands of people walking solemnly up to the water’s edge and placing lit candles on its surface. Surprisingly, the lotus-shaped lights rested easily on the rippling tides as they were slowly carried out to sea and already the silver waters were alight with floating candles, the flames lightly dancing from the shore to the horizon.  
 ****  
“Beautiful, isn’t it.” A soft voice spoke from behind them, and Mara turned to see Mon Mothma also carrying a white candle in the shape of a lotus blossom, the flame flickering brightly in the darkness that surrounded them. The last time Mara had seen the former Chief-of-State was at the Republic-Imperial peace accord, and although at that time she’d seemed happy, Mothma had also appeared tired and drawn. But looking at her now the woman seemed revitalised, as if being back on her homeworld and among her people had lifted the hard years from her life.  
 ****  
“Mon,” Luke smiled and stepped forward to give her a light kiss on cheek in greeting which Mothma effusively returned, patting Luke’s arm fondly with her free hand. “How’s retirement?” he asked.  
 ****  
“Not as peaceful as I had hoped,” Mothma said ruefully in that light, lilting voice of hers. “I seem to get a holocall ever other day from someone at New Republic Intelligence asking for assistance, and I am of course happy to give it. I hope that it helps the new generation stand their own.”  
 ****  
“I know what you mean,” Luke sighed, stepping back and resting a light hand on Mara’s back. He was always conscious to include her, she noted with fondness.  
 ****  
“Hello Mara,” Mothma said with a warm smile, and Mara nodded in return. She was never sure what to say to the woman without sounding trite, her unease not based on intimidation, but something else Mara had never been able to place. Perhaps it was the conversations she’d once had with the Emperor about Mothma when she’d still been Senator for Chandrila and had not yet been outed as a Rebel. Palpatine had known, of course, and Mothma had been high up on the “list” of known traitors together with Bail Organa. Mara had understood that one day she would be tasked with carrying out the execution of every soul on that list - when her Master had decided the time was right. The thought still made her shudder.  
 ****  
“Do you have your candles?” Mothma asked.  
 ****  
“Ah,” Luke fished inside the pocket of his robe and withdrew a candle identical to Mothma’s and the multitudes already on the water. “Right here.”  
 ****  
“What are they for?” Mara asked politely. She’d seen them being sold in the town but hadn’t bothered to enquire.  
 ****  
“They are for remembrance,” Mothma explained, reaching forward to light Luke’s candle from her own. “For our friends and families who died in the Civil War. We set them into the water, and release our sorrow."  
 ****  
Mara looked out into the waters where the lotus candles were buoyant, small points of light which mimicked and reflected the dense night sky above. “I see,” she said softly, heat pricking at the back of her eyes.  
 ****  
"Take mine, Mara," Mothma said warmly and stepped forward, pressing the candle into Mara’s hands.  
 ****  
"I don't have anyone I lost," she murmured, not wanting to meet Mothma's eyes. "I usually did the taking."  
 ****  
"For them, then," Mothma suggested. "For their families who cannot be here." She patted Mara lightly on the arm, and with a warm smile departed their company with a reminder to Luke about the continued festivities the following day, and the absent comment that if he enjoyed the Chandrilan celebrations, perhaps he should make time to visit the planet Naboo for the Festival of Light. Naboo, Mothma said with a strange sort of smile, was a planet he might find of historical interest.  
 ****  
Mara stared down at the Mothma’s candle flickering in her hands, blinking only when the light hurt her eyes. Luke’s warm hand was on her back, stroking her skin softly and his finger lightly drawing the infinity symbol over and over. It was a habit he’d picked up, and despite herself Mara found it comforting.  
 ****  
“Shall we?” he whispered eventually, guiding her lightly down through the coarse blue-sand to the water’s edge. He knelt down first, setting the candle into the water where it bobbed lightly on the surface. The sand was rough against her knees when she joined him, but Mara let go of the light in her hands, gifting it to the sea and watching as it joined Luke’s, the two candles floating beside one another off into the distance.  
 ****  
She felt Luke’s arm around her shoulders and Mara relaxed into his embrace. Her mind, however, was blank, unable to conjure up the faces of those whose lives she’d taken in the year’s she’d served as Palpatine’s puppet.  
 ****  
"You did lose someone," Luke murmured against her hair. "Your parents."  
 ****  
Mara thought back to those long ago memories, scant and tenuous. And yet, as she watched the lights dance upon the water Mara almost thought she could see her mother’s face, crumpled in sadness as her child was taken from her, and her father’s harsh words arguing with her captor to no avail. She remembered the falling-star globe which had hung in her room, and her parent’s anger when she had taken it apart to see how it worked - it had been a family heirloom, she remembered.

It was certain that they both were dead - perhaps they had been killed as soon as she’d been taken from them, or perhaps her capture had driven them to the Rebellion where they had been sure to perish in the bitter war that followed. Either way, the loss cut at her heart in a way she had never before allowed herself to acknowledge, and Mara felt hot tears spill onto her cheeks.   
****  
Luke’s arms folded properly around her, and Mara sniffed ruefully into his chest. “It’s not good to cry on a first date,” she joked. But Luke didn’t answer, and simply held her in the sand as they watched the candles float out to sea.  
 ****

* * *

  
****  
Some time later they took a casual walk along the beach and found a small cafe happy for their patronage. They didn’t serve hot chocolate, so Luke settled for a strong caf and Mara tried one of the local herbal teas infused with balmgrass. It was pleasant enough, and Mara sipped it slowly as the cool ocean breeze floated in from the beach.  
 ****  
"Who were you thinking of?” Mara asked, looking out to the horizon where candlelight still flickered.  
 ****  
“My aunt and uncle,” Luke said softly, and when Mara turned back she saw his expression was grave. “They didn’t fight in the war - they tried to keep me as far as possible from it. And yet they still died in it.”  
 ****  
“Do you think they knew?” Mara asked cautiously. “What a risk they were taking with you.”  
 ****  
Luke shrugged, absently tracing the rim of his cup. “I can’t be sure of what Obi-Wan told them, but even if they didn’t know about my father they still sacrificed so much to take me in.”  
 ****  
“What do you mean?"  
 ****  
"Children could be a burden in the farming community,” Luke explained, his gaze rising to hers again. “Helpful once they're old enough to work, but it's the years before that to be survived first, when there's an extra mouth to feed and too much work to be done. Wealthier families like my aunt’s had the luxury of two children - she had a sister, but my childhood was years of drought when the farm barely sustained the three of us. My aunt and uncle gave up the hope of having their own child to raise me."  
 ****  
Though their bond in the Force, which she was grateful to have restored, Mara sent a calming wave to envelop his still-jagged grief. “I wish I’d known them.”  
 ****  
“They would have liked you, Mara,” Luke smiled, and looked out to sea again. “They’d be happy to know I’d found a family of my own.”  
 ****  
Mara almost told him then, but decided the moment was not quite right with the cafe staff within earshot and no doubt anxious for gossip. It had been only a month since they’d been rescued from the planet Kaurna, with Han and Leia showing up eventually in one of the old Filalli ships not affected by the energy field the planet produced. Since then she and Luke had again been pulled away by their respective duties, although this time they’d made a point to speak to each other every day over the comm. But it was hardly news to be given over the holonet, even on a secure line, so Mara had waited until the perfect opportunity had presented itself in the stopover on Chandrila. But not yet, Mara told herself - not yet.  
 ****  
They finished their drinks in better spirits, chatting about Mara’s trade deals on Coruscant which she hoped would help finish up her work with the Smuggler’s Alliance, and the new students who had arrived on Yavin.  
 ****  
“So should we head back to your cottage?” Mara asked, checking the bill and throwing the required credits in the repository.  
 ****  
Luke balked, but could not hide his smile. “So you think we should?” he teased. “This is only our first date, after all. I thought standard procedure was to wait until at least the third date before sleeping over.”  
 ****  
Mara laughed. “How would you know?” she needled him. “You’ve never really dated like this.”  
 ****  
“No - but Leia’s certainly drilled the rules into me over the years,” he admitted. “Apparently courtship on Alderaan are pretty strict.”  
 ****  
“I can see Leia having a schedule,” Mara smiled to herself and affected Leia’s crisp voice. “ _Okay Han, according to my checklist it’s halfway through date number two, so it’s time to hold hands before the desert comes_.”  
 ****  
“To be fair, Leia and Han didn’t exactly have a standard courtship either,” Luke reminded her.  
 ****  
"I can go back to the _Sabre_ ," Mara offered, in case he was serious.   
****  
"No," Luke took her hand. "You can come back, if you think you can keep your hands off me."  
 ****  
"I'll try," was her dry retort.  
 **  
**

* * *

  
****  
Luke’s cottage was located on the outskirts of Hanna City, a quaint stone building nestled in a beautiful, wild garden. Mara had of course already ascertained this, and had stopped off there first before making her way into the city.  
 ****  
"I dropped Elia off earlier," Mara said as he punched in the code which would allow entrance to the small dwelling. "Hopefully she and Patooga haven't killed each other."  
 ****  
However they found upon entering that their pets were fast asleep in front of the roaring fire, Patooga’s large form curled around Elia's small one, her chin resting on one of the toe pads on his large paws.  
 ****  
“Well,” Luke said with raised eyebrows. “That’s a surprise.”  
 ****  
“Sure is,” Mara poked his side and sank down into the couch. “Who knew your pet was capable of building a fire?”  
 ****  
Luke laughed and plopped himself down next to her, his arm falling casually around her shoulders. “I think it’s more likely to have been the caretaker,” he teased, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. “Although I’m sure Patooga’s smart enough.”  
 ****  
Mara snorted with derision. “That thing?” she scoffed, which made Patooga raise his head, looking at them with its sleepy eyes. “It’s toepad is larger than its brain.” The wonat nudged his tooka companion with his snout, making Elia hiss with displeasure at having been awoken, but she stretched her claws and then sidled over to sit on Mara’s lap. Patooga followed suit, although he was now far too large to curl himself up himself on Luke’s knees, and settled for jumping onto the couch next to him and nestling into his side. Luke patted the wonat absently, and Mara felt his utter contentment emanate through their bond.  
 ****  
Resting her head against Luke’s chest and taking a deep breath, Mara knew now was the right time. "I was thinking," she began, "about our agreement to spend more time together. Are you still willing to take a sabbatical?"  
 ****  
"Of course," Luke said, kissing her temple. "I've already been putting things into place on Yavin - Leia's decided to retire from politics and I've persuaded her to move the family there for an extended vacation. I've almost talked her into teaching as well, at least until her baby comes."  
 ****  
"Good,” Mara nodded, not wanting to get distracted by the topic of Leia’s pregnancy. “Because I have a suggestion. If you agree to spend the next seven months with me while I finish up with Karrde's organisation, I promise that after that I will move to Yavin - permanently."  
 ****  
She felt Luke’s surprise through their bond, followed by a cautious happiness. Outwardly, however, he remained calm. "Why seven months?"  
 ****  
Mara shifted slightly on the couch so she could look her husband fully, making Elia hiss and jump back down onto the floor. She took a deep breath and steeled herself before responding.  "Because that's how much longer I will be pregnant."  
 ****  
"What?" Luke’s jolt of shock was so great it dislodged Patooga’s head from his lap, and the wonat groaned with annoyance. Absently patting Patooga’s head to calm him, Luke stared at her open-mouthed.  
 ****  
"Well, not exactly - I'm only a month along,” Mara smiled, savoring the moment and his priceless expression. “But I don't want to go into labor in the middle of some mission, so that will give us a buffer."  
 ****  
"I meant...you mean...you're pregnant?"  
 ****  
"Yes, and before you ask, I'm happy." She was sure to communicate her elation through their bond, but knew that her words were what he needed to hear. Mara remembered what Leia had told her when admitting her own condition, and while at the time she had dismissed the words as mere fancy, now she understood perfectly. “I’m so happy I don’t remember what it's like to be anything else.”  
 ****  
Luke’s face split into a wide grin, although he still seemed to be in a bit of shock. “I...this is wonderful,” he managed to splutter out, and through their bond she could feel his heart singing.  
 ****  
“I know it’s not standard first date protocol to tell your partner you’re pregnant,” she teased, leaning in and merging her Force sense with his.  
  
“Kriff protocol,” Luke growled, pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly.


End file.
